A state inspector found moldy fruit and vegetables at a Miami-Dade market

Fruteria La Hacienda claims an identity as a “farmers’ market,” but a state inspector found an identity crisis Monday: problems in the produce section.

Mold. Flies. Dirty equipment.

That’s all in Inspector Simeon Carrero’s report after his visit to Fruteria La Hacienda’s North Miami Beach location, 17052 W. Dixie Hwy.

The Florida Department of Agriculture inspects all sizes of grocery stores and grocery sellers, retail bakeries, food distributors and food processors. A failed inspection doesn’t close an establishment, as is the case with state inspections of restaurants. The inspector can put Stop-Use Orders on areas and equipment, however.

Inspector Carrero didn’t have to drop any Stop-Use Orders. But what follows is what he did find:

A produce department worker washed, rinsed, but didn’t sanitize the cutting boards. Then again, several cutting boards in the produce processing area were “scored and pitted and could be no longer effectively cleaned and sanitized.”

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The three-compartment sink in the produce processing area had “soil buildup” as did the plate and housing on the scale in the retail produce area.

In the retail area, backroom, coolers, cold units and shelves “throughout the establishment,” Inspector Carrero saw “soil, debris, food spillage on the floors and under shelves.”

The handwashing sink in the produce processing area next to the three-compartment sink didn’t have soap or paper towels. Inspector Carrero noted there was an employee’s purse sitting in either that handwashing sink or another one in the produce processing area, indicating it wasn’t a high traffic area.

As for food safety, out on the retail shelves for sale were in-house bean sprouts and alfalfa sprouts measuring 57 and 58 degrees, well above 41 degrees or below that cold units are supposed to keep contents. The sprouts got tossed.

In the retail area, Carrero saw “several small flies” around the fruit and vegetable area. He also saw “several oranges and bunches of white asparagus spoiled” and with mold. They were also tossed..